


Domestic Animals

by Artemis1000



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Mentions of Past Animal Abuse, Pets, Post-Canon, Treat, accidental pet acquisition
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-26 04:05:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16674193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis1000/pseuds/Artemis1000
Summary: When North had said that a pet would be nice, she had been thinking of a dog. Trust Markus to show up with an android polar bear instead.





	Domestic Animals

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Masu_Trout](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masu_Trout/gifts).



It was a perfectly normal day in the growing settlement that was New Jericho, which happened to be one of these depilated, long-abandoned quarters of Detroit which was now turning into a hub of android activity.

Today, Markus and North could be found standing side by side on the overgrown lawn behind their apartment building, looking at a box.

It was a huge wooden wildlife transport box standing smack dab in the middle of the lawn. It sported the logo of the Detroit Zoo on the side. Inside, a polar bear was pacing.

“When I said a pet would be nice, I’d been thinking of a small dog,” North said, turning her head slightly to shoot Markus a dubious look.

The modified URS12 android polar bear in the transport cage made an impatient growling noise and threw himself with his full weight against the side of the box.

She hissed in alarm when the crate wobbled ominously and quickly stepped forward to steady it, Markus moving forward in the same moment to steady the other side.

“But do you like him?”

She arched an eyebrow at Markus. He looked so accomplished and more than a little bit hopeful, she just couldn’t bring herself to point out that she truly had had something smaller and easier to care for in mind for their first pet. Something that wasn’t a fully-grown polar bear, at the very least.

The polar bear gave another whuff and she peered inside, taking in the sorry state the poor android creature was in. When Jericho had been called to deal with the victims of Zlatko Andronikov’s house of horrors, they had found suffering greater than a human or android mind could conceive. The URS12 with his skin partially peeled back to expose his exoskeleton, his exposed wires and damaged left eye, had actually been one of the luckier victims.

Much to her shame, North had to admit that she had been to Zlatko’s house only twice; when the Jericho crew first took over from the hopelessly overwhelmed DPD and when the techs had the survivors stabilized enough for transport. Too much there reminded her of the Eden Club with its backroom of broken androids, and seeing all that suffering when she didn’t have the technical skills to help only made her angry and frustrated and even angrier for being frustrated.

Markus had been back nearly every day. His duties as leader of Jericho were many, and they weighed heavy on him, often too heavy, but once they were done he would return to the mansion to put his nursing skills to good use. It was one of the things North loved so much about Markus. When he saw someone in need, he felt the urge to take action and help; no matter the personal cost or risk to him.

She just hadn’t expected Markus being Markus to end up with them getting an android polar bear instead of a dog.

“We couldn’t bring him in until today,” Markus said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder, “in the end Josh had to ask the Detroit Zoo for help.”

“I can see,” North remarked dryly, her eyes flickering again to _property of Detroit Zoo_ written on the box.

Markus chuckled a little. “Help me get him out of the box before he hurts himself,” he said, already getting to work on the cage. “Being an android animal, he isn’t hostile unless given reason to but nobody knows for sure how his torment at Zlatko’s hands has affected him, or how intelligent he is. That’s why we couldn’t just bring him here in a van. We couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t panic in the car and hurt someone else or himself.”

Working hand in hand, they soon had the transport box opened without jostling it further.

They took a couple of steps back so the bear wouldn’t feel crowded when he took his first steps into his new life in Jericho.

North was chewing on her bottom lip as they waited, weight shifting impatiently from one leg to the other.

The polar bear moved forward hesitantly, stilling in surprise as soon as his front paws stepped on grass. He leaned down to sniff at the ground.

A second step followed it, then a third, until he was completely out of the cage. He wandered around, sniffing and exploring the lawn behind the house.

With the bear moving around in bright daylight, North could finally get a good look at all the horrific damage that had been done to him. Anger burned bright in her as she cataloged his injuries and deduced from them the cruelties he had suffered, anger that had barely calmed since she helped with the abused androids. It had not calmed, only slept at the back of her mind while she focused on other tasks.

“I know.” Before she could even give voice to it, Markus was there, a hand on her shoulder, then reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered, caressing her cheek.

“It’s not _right_ ,” she insisted, frowning, and yet felt a little childish for it; Markus was the last person who needed to be lectured on android rights. She just… She stood there, tense, frowning, watching the mistreated URS12 from the corner of her eyes, and wished quietly that she could simply reach out to Markus and ask for the comfort she needed.

“I know,” Markus repeated. There was no impatience to his voice, no judgment, just the same quiet understanding she could read in his eyes. Understanding, and a sadness which resonated with her own anger instead of clashing with it. Markus knew how to mourn for what was lost when she could only let herself feel anger over it. It was one of the things she had always admired most about him, though their different approaches to life still led to many heated debates. “Andronikov is dead but we can do our best to help his victims… and make sure that people like him won’t get away with their crimes anymore.”

She nodded curtly. “We will.”

Giving a whuff, the URS12 finally approached the two of them after growing bored of sniffing at the grass, and they parted, both facing the android polar bear.

Markus crouched first while North remained watchful, falling back into being his bodyguard though the android animal had been peaceful so far. By now it was a habit more than anything else, though she didn’t like to be careless even in seemingly safe situations.

“Welcome to your new home, my friend,” he said quietly, offering his hand to be sniffed. The URS12 nudged it, hard at first, then again gentler, and for a moment, Markus looked up, his eyes alight with joy. North’s lips twitched as she watched Markus run his fingers gently through synthetic fur, so very careful to avoid all the bare patches of exposed plastic and wires. “It’s okay, North.”

She didn’t argue this time, just joined Markus in crouching.

There was another moment of sniffing, of measuring another up, before she too was permitted to run her fingers through the coarse white fur. Having never touched an organic polar bear, North had nothing to compare it to, but it felt nice.

“We will take good care of you,” she promised, her voice as quiet and soothing as Markus’s had been. “You will have a home with us.” She meant it. She knew she meant it. She still didn’t know how to take proper care of a polar bear, but now she understood why Markus had brought him home. It was impossible to look at him without wanting to help.

“He hasn’t let anyone work on him for repairs yet,” Markus explained, voice still quiet. “I don’t know when that will change. It hurts to watch him like this, and know we could help but he won’t let us.”

“Some people need a little longer to trust.” She looked pointedly at Markus, catching and holding his gaze until his lips curled into another smile that was so tender, it made her feel flushed and embarrassed with the love and understanding she could read in it.

The URS12 settled down on the grass, probably as close to relaxed as one who had suffered as much as he had could in an unfamiliar place. To herself, North marveled that it was a miracle he relaxed at all with them, still permitting the petting to continue. After all, he had only just met her.

“We need to find a name for him,” she said.

Markus smiled. “So. We are keeping him then?” His voice was light with teasing.

She jabbed him slightly with her elbow and rolled her eyes. As if there had ever been any doubt.

Although she didn’t know a lot about polar bears, android or otherwise, the noise he made sounded content to her ears, and she felt her face light up with a smile that mirrored Markus’s.

Dogs were overrated anyway.


End file.
